St Peter Port Harbour could have looked very different today had plans submitted in 1903 been approved. (Graphic by James Linane)

THE White Rock would have looked altogether different had plans put forward in 1903 got the green light.

With traffic on the increase, States engineer Mr Duquemin was ordered to produce plans for an enlarged harbour, with his terms of reference being to increase the deep-water landing accommodation outside the existing north and south breakwaters.

This is what he came up with:

Extend St Julian’s Pier in an easterly direction for 750ft with a width of 90ft and a return arm in a south-easterly direction of 500ft with a width of 65ft.

The proposed length would give exactly similar shelter as existed previously and an entrance channel of 500ft.

His plan took into consideration the ‘enormous amount of stones’ deposited along the outside of the White Rock Pier and number 6 berth. The engineer proposed removing some of that and building another berth over the remainder to compete a basin of six-and-a-half acres with deep-water berthing of 1,590 feet and low-tide depths varying from 24ft to 11ft.

The whole of the new outer face would have a raised-terrace promenade under which would be goods sheds. It would, he suggested, be built using 30-ton concrete blocks, 31-35ft wide.

The lighthouse, the one which stands in the same place today, would have to be demolished and rebuilt on the new pierhead.

And all for just £328,000.
Why did it not happen?

The influential railway companies wanted improvements but considered the plans as simply too grandiose.

It died a natural death, deemed a white elephant.

Today’s harbour master, Captain Peter Gill, and his deputy, Tony Pattimore, were shocked to see Duquemin’s plans for the very reason that such a layout would be an answer to their 21st-century prayers.

‘That would have served us for the next 200 years,’ said an enthusiastic Peter, who had not previously seen them.

‘The principle of it was rock solid,’ he added, calling it visionary.

Tony said Duquemin’s layout would have rendered it needless to have built the New Jetty and would have allowed just about most ships in, including liners.

‘That would have taken ocean-going ships.’